Brendan Donnelly

Donnelly's forearm problems last year eventually resulted in "Tommy John" surgery on his right elbow, ending a season that started impressively for Boston. Obviously, he'll be rehabbing this season and should not be considered an option.

Remember, he was 30 and 31 during that great stretch he had when he broke into the league, so his "sudden" falloff isn't that unusual. With that said, the Red Sox traded for him, and they have no clear-cut closer as of this writing (and that includes the signing of Joel Pineiro). Donnelly could fall into a dozen saves just by throwing strikes.

Donnelly returns as the Angels top set-up man in 2006. He will work to regain the consistency that escaped him at times in 2005. When he's on, he's among the elite set-up men in the game. Donnelly had a rather large home-away split in 2005 posting a 2.79 home ERA vs. 4.46 on the road. This is the second straight season that gap has widened and may warrant keeping an eye on in 2006.

Donnelly put up respectable numbers after a litany of bizarre injuries, including a broken nose suffered when hit by a batted ball, kept him sidelined for a third of the season. Over the past two years he's averaged better than a strikeout per inning and has given up a miniscule .54 HR per nine innings. He's not developed into a closing candidate, but has remained a solid set-up man. It's a role he'll reprise in 2005 and he may vulture the occasional save when K-Rod can't take the hill.

Donnelly, 32, will be the club's first choice to close games if Troy Percival goes on the DL again. In 74 IP, he struck out 79 and allowed only 55 hits (.200 BAA). Most importantly to non-traditional leagues, he led the American League with 29 holds. His numbers indicate he can handle the closer's role. A perfectly acceptable late-round endgame pick in deep single-league pools.

Donnelly became a key cog in the Angels bullpen during their World Series run. He had a 2.17 ERA in 46 games during his rookie season and had a 2.8:1 strikeout/walk ratio. Depending on how he does in the spring, he could see some holds as the setup man to Troy Percival, but won't get more than the occasional save.